Welcome to HOLIDAY West Highland - Discover the West Highlands

Loch Awe - at the foot of Ben Cruachan

Author Holiday West Highland |

IMAGINE being in Greater London with its many millions of workers and dwellers. Now think of an area of similar size in the West Highlands but with a population of only 800. Yes, you’’ve got it, you’’re at Loch Awe.

Imagine only 800 people in 610 square miles of glorious scenery dominated by Ben Cruachan and the loch itself.

There could’n’t be a greater contrast between the noise and pollution of a capital city and the pure West Highlands air at Loch Awe. At the height of the season the population may treble but there still room for everyone. We at Holiday West Highland can be forgiven for using the words ‘fabulous, magnificent, beautiful, entrancing, wonderful, incredible’ and so on as the whole area is superlatively stunning.

But all these are attributable to Loch Awe. Centrally positioned in Argyll it’s within easy reach from the Cowal peninsula, Inveraray, Lochgilphead and Oban and you’’ll have a drive through marvellous scenery whichever road you use. But for a stay here there are plenty of hotels, guesthouses, caravans, lodges and self-catering cottages all over the Loch Awe area at Dalmally, Ardanaseig, Bridge of Orchy and other places – something to suit all tastes and budgets. Handsome Victorian piles, country houses, modern hotels, Loch Awe has them all.

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Taynuilt - at the foot of Ben Cruachan

Author Holiday West Highland |

THE pretty village of Taynuilt, near Oban, straddles the A85 amid glorious scenery at the foot of Ben Cruachan and on the shores of Loch Etive. Taynuilt is steeped in history and has links with Admiral Nelson, the Callander and Oban Railway and Bonawe quarry on the north shore of the loch.

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Falls of Lora - stunning tidal rapids

Author Holiday West Highland |

WHEREVER you go in the West Highlands you’ll see lochs, some fast-flowing, some sleepy, all of them beautiful. At the village of Connel when the tide is right you will see the fantastic rapids known as the Falls of Lora where stunning Loch Etive meets the tidal flows of the sea.

This is a sight to behold as the loch is higher than sea level and when the loch waters level with the sea it’s a fine fast-flowing spectacle. Canoeists regard the falls as a great challenge and it’s great watching them fight the flow. Connel is at the mouth of Loch Etive and the home of one of the best-known landmarks in the West Highlands - the Connel Bridge. This cantilever bridge opened in 1903 and is a popular vantage point for watching the famous falls at high tide. The main road near the bridge is also the place to watch fabulous sunsets over the island of Lismore and the Morvern hills that will stay in your mind for ever. Connel itself grew in the late 1600s to service the ferry from here to North Connel long before the bridge was built. The nearby Connel airfield (actually at North Connel) was a Second World War airstrip and is now being completely renovated and restored to create an airfield which will cater for scheduled flights. Creagan Bridge, straddling Loch Creran, was installed in recent times to cut out a bendy, windy road round the loch but you should take some time out to go along this quiet track. The head of the loch in Glen Creran is at the foot of some stunning mountain scenery.

You might even spot a golden eagle gliding high above the peaks looking for food, even oyster catchers, seals and otters.

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Inveraray - ancient Royal Burgh of Argyll

Author Holiday West Highland |

IT ISN’’T often a town is on the move but that is just what happened with the Royal Burgh of Inveraray. The town was already 300 years old when the Duke of Argyll decided to build his principal seat, Inveraray Castle, on its site so he simply moved the town to where it is today at its idyllic setting on Loch Fyne - that was in 1744.

The town then became the administrative centre of Argyll with a courthouse and 43 pubs, obviously not the quiet location it is today. Inveraray is unrivalled in its location. It looks down Loch Fyne and across the mountains and moorland, which is why it attracts visitors in their tens of thousands each year. The three-hundred-year-old courthouse and the nineteenth century Inveraray Jail are among the top attractions in Scotland and if you want to know what it feels like to be ‘banged up’ with no privileges then the jail can easily grant you your request.

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Callander, Killin & Kenmore

Author Holiday West Highland |

THE area between Tyndrum and Callander is known to be magnificent walking country, with two major long-distance walks passing through as well as a third which can be tackled in one day. And set amidst some of Scotland’s most glorious mountain scenery you would be ideally placed to take advantage of all the activities on offer.For this area is part of Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
Many holidaymakers tend to pass through en route to all points north and west, to the islands and towns such as Oban and Fort William, but they miss a lot by not stopping off here and enjoying the sights.

The famous West Highland Way passes through here as does the Coast to Coast Walk from Oban to St Andrews in Fife. Continuing along the A85 from Crianlarich takes you into scenic, fertile Glen Dochart, through forestry to Lix Toll from where you can turn off into the village of Killin at the foot of Loch Tay.

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Melfort - an area of outstanding natural beauty

Author Holiday West Highland |

The village is located in a small valley at the head of Loch na Cille, which is a small bay at the head of Loch Melfort. The centre of the village consists of a cluster of 25 or so houses, a hotel, Post Office and General Store, and the Kirk (Church of Scotland), which is prominently situated on a small knoll. “

The Magic of Melfort” lies in an area of outstanding natural beauty, and is ideally situated for those who wish to explore the hills on foot, or the surrounding coast and islands by boat.

There are many miles of excellent walks, some of which allow wild life spotting; from the brown eagle to the grey heron, gold finches, robins and deer, with stunning views over the surrounding countryside and coast. Kilmelford has wild brown trout fishing on the many hill lochs around the area. Also excellent is the sea fishing, offering a wide variety of species.

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Easdale - and the slate Islands

Author Holiday West Highland |

A LITTLE south of the West Highlands hub of Oban lies a small chain of islands in an idyllic location. Their neat white- washed cott ages present an attractive picture and film-makers have raved over their location for years. These are the slate islands of Luing, Seil and Easdale and for a time they thrummed with industry as their workers strove to roof the world. With the slate islands looking out to the Atlantic and truly beautiful views of the mountains of Mull, you’ll see West Highlands scenery at its very best.

No wonder that you might get a feeling of déjà vu if you visit for the first time because several films have been made here. The conservation island of Easdale stood in for Camusfearna in Ring of Bright Water, Ellenabeich featured in The Bridal Path as does much of Argyll and the Donald Sutherland Second World War spy thriller Eye of the Needle was also filmed here. Slate quarrying on Easdale ceased on a commercial basis in 1911 and you can find out about the history of the industry at the island’s fascinating museum. You get the same feeling about the island. You can walk round it in minutes but you’d miss an awful lot if you did. Once you’’ve stepped off the wee ferry from Ellenabeich after your three-minute crossing you’ll see the marvellous spanking new village hall, worth a visit in itself.

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Mid Argyll - epicentre of an ancient nation

Author Holiday West Highland |

MID-ARGYLL was once the important epicentre of an ancient nation whose influence helped to make Scotland what it is today. Irish and Celtic warriors from the 5th and 6th centuries found their way to Mid-Argyll where they took over the fortified rocky out- crop of Dunadd in Kilmartin Glen, displacing or assimilating with the people already there.

One of the most important archaeological sights in Scotland, Dunadd was a royal centre from which sprang the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada whose influence was to spread throughout Scotland.

Mid-Argyll is served by the small, charming town of Lochgilphead at the head of Loch Gilp. The administrative headquarters of Argyll and Bute Council are here and the town has plenty of amenities including sports facilities, shops, accommodation and restaurants. Set in an ideal location to explore Mid-Argyll is The Galley of Lorne Hotel at Ardfern, on the B8002, just off the main road from Oban to Lochgilphead.

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Kintyre - Argyll’s agricultural and fishing heartland

Author Holiday West Highland |

IF IT’S tranquillity you’re aft er away from the bright lights and hustle and bustle the Kintyre Peninsula offers all the peace and quiet you need. This lovely 40-mile long stretch of land, no more than ten miles wide at any one place, is an agricultural and fishing heartland and the only sounds you’ll hear will be from cattle, sheep or tractors. Along with its farms and picturesque fishing villages are quiet roads leading to lochs, glens, sandy beaches, hills and forests and plenty of archaeological and historical interest to satisfy any holidaymaker.

As you drive down to Campbeltown at the far end of the peninsula you’ll see magnificent sea views on either side. On your right are the Hebridean islands of Gigha, Islay and Jura and from the Carradale road on the other side is the hugely popular island of Arran a short distance away across the Kilbranan Sound. Kintyre is famed for its seafood and it is here that the well-known Kintyre Trail begins, offering you superb locally caught seafood in top-notch restaurants form Kintyre to Oban. The Kintyre coast is also a surfer’s paradise and the beaches are popular for bracing evening walks or indeed at any time of day. Your trip to Kintyre begins at Tarbert to which the peninsula is joined by a narrow isthmus. This is a busy fishing village which is also dependent on tourism.

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Wildlife - in Focus

Author Holiday West Highland |

THE West Highlands of Scotland is home to a multitude of spectacular wildlife from the majestic splendour of the golden eagle to the smaller, but equally interesting, red squirrel.

Wildlife abounds, offering the holidaymaker with a eye for nature, hours of relaxing, free entertainment. And, of course, the opportunity to perhaps spot something just that little bit different. There has to be some irony in that, what we oft en refer to as wilderness, wasteland or remoteness are the very environments that we seek when getting away from the rat-race of life.

Spring is the best time to see the many species of wild flowers which bloom in the glens and leafy avenues while among the feathered residents you may find song thrushes, tits, dippers, buzzards, herons and, with luck, one of the rising number of Peregrine falcons.

The opportunities to see natures mammals are too many to list - but watch out for the noble Red Deer in the high hills and glens, or their smaller ‘Bambi’ cousins, the Roe Deer, in lowland sheltered woodland.

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